Looking for advice in Pompano

[motorref]

I have a trip planned in Oct. for Pompano Beach, and I'd like to get some input on what are the "Not to be missed" sites, places to go, etc. It'll just be me diving, though my wife may want to go out on the boat once or twice.
My plan is to be there the week of Columbus Day: a couple days in Pompano, then a couple days in the Keys to finish up my wreck diving cert., then back to Pompano.
What operators would you recommend, or not? I prefer small, family owned businesses (and boats) as I feel they give more back to support the local economy. So far it seems as if Parrot Island Scuba is one of the few, if not only, 6 pack boats in the area, and I like the fact that they are within walking distance of where I'll be staying.
If I go north to Boynton Beach, Underwater Explorers came highly recommended and looks good; how could they not when their DM is named Kevin???? Is it worth the drive to go that far north, when there is SOOOO much to do in the Pompano area?
Force E seems to have a great reputation and nice shops, but they don't own their boats.

BHB is one site that needs to on the list - what else?

TIA,
Kevin

 

[sportxlh]

In my opinion, the mid-depth reefs (e.g. 60-75 feet) are beautiful in Boynton and should not be missed. The shallow reefs like the Nursery or Copenhagen wreck in Pompano are some of the best shallow dives you'll ever do (e.g. 25-35 range). While most of your diving can be in Pompano, a day trip to Boynton would be worth it: it will only take 30 minutes or so to get there.

Virtually all of the dive boats I've been on and know about are locally owned and operated. While there might be an exception or two that I am not aware of, I don't think a conglomerate or large company operates any boats in SE Florida; any dive boat you pick will be, by definition, local.

Small boats can be nice, but keep in mind that weekdays tend to be slow for many operations, even those with bigger boats. Weekends can be crowded though.

Here are the dive operators I've used: none of the Pompano boats really are six packs but as I indicated, weekdays don't tend to be crowded.

Underwater Explorers: in Boynton is a six pack and a fairly big boat for being a six pack. This operator is one of the few south of WPB that sends an in-water DM/guide if he knows your looking for one: a nice feature if you are new to the area and diving without your normal buddy.

Pelican: in Boynton is a mid-sized boat. I've used them when I wanted to dive in Boynton and UE was filled up. The boat is modestly comfortable but the couple that runs the operation are really nice folks.

Scubatyme: in Pompano: not a six pack, but a comfortable boat with a really nice owner and captain.

Pompano Dive Center: in Pompano: Sort of a 12 pack, though the half a dozen times I've been out with the operator, there never were more than 8 people on the boat.

South Florida Dive Headquarters: in Pompano. This operator has one small six pack and two really big catamaran-type boats. Even when the big boats are fairly full up, I never really felt crowded plus if you only have 6 or 8 people on the boat, you feel like you're in a stadium. The one nice feature about these two catamarans is their big beams which means they take waves really well and are some of the least bouncy boats I've been on. On the down side, I don't really like the ladders located on the side of the boats rather than the stern.

Any of the reefs in Boynton are enjoyable to dive. Any of the wrecks in Pompano are worth diving along with the shallow reefs. When I go to either location, I really don't care where the Cap't plans to go since I know I won't be disappointed. Here's a few links with dive site information so you can decide what looks interesting.....

.:: SCUBATYME ::.

Visit one of the hundreds of dive and snorkel sites in beautiful sunny South Florida with South Florida Diving Headquarters

Force-E is a good shop (at least the one in WPB where I shop) and you are correct in that they can arrange for a boat dive but don't operate their own boats.

I'm sure other SB'ers will chime in with other options. I've used all the operators I mentioned above but I've no experience with Parrot Island.

 

[Reck Diver]

Truthfully, you can pretty much expect the same trip from any of the Operators. The differences are the capacity of the vessel, and inlet they depart from (Hillsboro, Boca, or Boynton). They all hit the same spots along the reef.

 

[Chugwhump]

I go out with this 'Six-Pack" from Pompano fairly often.
Scuba Diving spear fishing pompano beach
Very flexible, friendly to hunters, tree huggers and photographers alike.
They will do "off the beaten path" diving on this charter I can assure you.

The boat is called Aquatherapy.

Chug
Waiting for football season....

 

[motorref]

Thanks guys - looks like I pretty much can't go wrong with any of them. I had forgotten that I dove w/ Scubatyme last year (Capt. Gary?), so I'll look at them again, along with the other suggestions.

Thx!
Kevin

 

[trigfunctions]

I've used Parrot Island many times and can definitely recommend them. Make reservations in advance to make sure they have enough passengers for the trip.

Welcome

 

[deepstops]

I like this operation quite a bit and dive with them frequently: MISSCONDUCTCHARTERS.COM